New Wincester XR turkey loads

[Buck Buster]

I was a hevi-shot guy until I tried long beard. I shot hevi shot for about 10 years. I'll never go back to heavi-shot. I'm currently running #6 3in out of my sx3 with a carlson's long beard choke. Absolute devastating results. I tried #5s but my pattern was alittle clumpy for my liking. Hevi shot is way over priced. Longbeard is cheaper and we on average have much better patterns over hevi shot.

I have a Mossberg 3&1/2" pump and have tried hevi - shot, Winchester XR loads and Remington turkey loads and others ! The best pattern I get is with Federal flight control turkey loads,2oz #5 shot ! I can get 10 hits or more every time in the bones of the turkey head target at 50 yards and many other secondary hits ! I will only shot to a distance that I can consistently have 10 bone hits as that is what anchors a turkey ! I could kill some at 60yards but I don't have 10 good hits every shot so I rely on my calling and set up to get them 50 yards or closer ! I have a red dot scope and when they are inside 50 yards the red dot on their head has smoked them every time so far ! Have never crippled a bird with this set up and using those guidelines ! All shells shot different in different guns and chock restrictions, you just have to try the different kinds as I did to find the best combination ! I tried 3 different chock tubes also ! Some may wonder why I don't use the 2&1/4 oz shells, it's simple there are holes in my pattern when I tried them, as I said I tried many brands and different loads ! Federal came out on top for me ! I will not try anything new that comes along because I know what my setup can do and I love it !

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I have a Mossberg 3&1/2" pump and have tried hevi - shot, Winchester XR loads and Remington turkey loads and others ! The best pattern I get is with Federal flight control turkey loads,2oz #5 shot ! I can get 10 hits or more every time in the bones of the turkey head target at 50 yards and many other secondary hits ! I will only shot to a distance that I can consistently have 10 bone hits as that is what anchors a turkey ! I could kill some at 60yards but I don't have 10 good hits every shot so I rely on my calling and set up to get them 50 yards or closer ! I have a red dot scope and when they are inside 50 yards the red dot on their head has smoked them every time so far ! Have never crippled a bird with this set up and using those guidelines ! All shells shot different in different guns and chock restrictions, you just have to try the different kinds as I did to find the best combination ! I tried 3 different chock tubes also ! Some may wonder why I don't use the 2&1/4 oz shells, it's simple there are holes in my pattern when I tried them, as I said I tried many brands and different loads ! Federal came out on top for me ! I will not try anything new that comes along because I know what my setup can do and I love it !

Gotta stick with whatever works! I dont remember the exact pellet count but I believe it was 30 hits in just the brain and spine at 40 yards and it still held 15 at 60. I dont shoot birds that far because to me that's not Turkey hunting .

 

[Buck Buster]

Gotta stick with whatever works! I dont remember the exact pellet count but I believe it was 30 hits in just the brain and spine at 40 yards and it still held 15 at 60. I dont shoot birds that far because to me that's not Turkey hunting .

That sounds about like my gun, I even shot a couple shots at 70 yards and had one or two in the skull, but that's not good enough to be sure of a kill, that's why I limit my shots to 50 yards and that would be only if they wouldn't come closer ! About 10 years ago I set up several times on a gobbler that was with hens, and they would only come to about 50 yards, on my last set up I no sooner called and seen them coming through the woods along the edge of a field that dropped into the head of a shallow hollow, they came to the opposite side of the hollow from me, I estimated the distance at 50 yards, as the hens started to go down the far side of the hollow I knew the gobbler would be following them so I decided that I would try a shot at him I turned my red dot scope on and took a steady aim and fired ! He went right down and started to flop into the hollow, I rushed to him and by the time I got there he was about done flopping . I stepped it off using as long a step as I could take, and the head of the hollow at this point was only a slight dip and I stepped off 62 steps ! This is the farthest I have killed a turkey, and I could see several hits in the head and neck area ! It only takes one good pellet hit in the right place as long as the pellet has enough energy left to kill .

 

[geo4061]

The XR's + an E O Tech(red dot) and you've got magic. Winchester please add these in BB for Coyotes.

 

[GregBFL]

Has anyone tried these out of a Kick's Gobblin' Thunder? I purchased a Remington 3 1/2" last year and I was all set to get the Indian Creek Black Diamond Strike and my friend talked me into the Kick's. There's a lot of information in this thread, I will have to look into the Sumtoy and Trulock chokes as well.

 

[geo4061]

Greg I used a Versa Max Remington 3.5 when I did some ammo and choke testing. Since your using a Remington 3.5 you might find the thread interesting. Check it out. Under the thread Coyote Shotgun Ammo and Choke Test.

 

[GregBFL]

Greg I used a Versa Max Remington 3.5 when I did some ammo and choke testing. Since your using a Remington 3.5 you might find the thread interesting. Check it out. Under the thread Coyote Shotgun Ammo and Choke Test.

Thanks! I will definitely check it out. I am using a Remington 870 Express Super Mag (Camo) that I found for a ridiculously low price and I couldn't turn it down. I love that shotgun.

 

[wildwings]

Nothing has ever come close to the Hevishot Magnum Blends out of
my Beretta and Benelli
amazing patterns and lethal punch

 

[GregBFL]

Sounds like I need to try several different loads and see how they pattern. When I purchased my shotgun last year it was a couple of days before Turkey Season and most of the better Ammo was sold out. All I had to choose from was Winchester Double X and Remington Premium Magnum, this year I have plenty of time to get ready.

 

[wildwings]

Greg
Take a look at both the Magnum Blends and Hevi 13 from HEVI SHOT
the Mag Blends are a combination of several shot sizes where the
Hevi 13's are a certain shot size

 

[DartonJager]

Was surfing the net last year after turkey season closed for most of the lower 48 in search of deals and stumbled across a Carlton's choke made especially for use with Winchester LB/XR shells called "Carlson's Long Beard choke" for $20 TMD and bought it. It works pretty good and is a great compromise between pattern density and spread.
At 40 yards I get over 200 #5 pellets in a 10" circle and 27 in the 2" orange target sticker I used for my POA.
Tried #6 shot in the same shells and the patterns have to be seen to be believed over 250 pellets in a 10" circle. I opted for the #5 shot instead because they are better at retaining energy beyond 40 yards and you gain nothing with 10 extra pellets in a turkey's head and neck when you already average over 15. Can't kill a turkey deader than dead.
I can highly recommend Carlson's Long Beard choke made specifically for use with 12 gauge 3.5" Winchester Long Beard High Velocity turkey loads.
My gun is a first run all mat black Remington 870 12 gauge 3.5" Super Mag with a 24" barrel.

 

[Buck Buster]

Was surfing the net last year after turkey season closed for most of the lower 48 in search of deals and stumbled across a Carlton's choke made especially for use with Winchester LB/XR shells called "Carlson's Long Beard choke" for $20 TMD and bought it. It works pretty good and is a great compromise between pattern density and spread.
At 40 yards I get over 200 #5 pellets in a 10" circle and 27 in the 2" orange target sticker I used for my POA.
Tried #6 shot in the same shells and the patterns have to be seen to be believed over 250 pellets in a 10" circle. I opted for the #5 shot instead because they are better at retaining energy beyond 40 yards and you gain nothing with 10 extra pellets in a turkey's head and neck when you already average over 15. Can't kill a turkey deader than dead.
I can highly recommend Carlson's Long Beard choke made specifically for use with 12 gauge 3.5" Winchester Long Beard High Velocity turkey loads.
My gun is a first run all mat black Remington 870 12 gauge 3.5" Super Mag with a 24" barrel.

Thursday I pulled the trigger on a gobbler and heard what sounded like a muffled 22 short shell going off, I then saw some smoke coming from the action area of my Mossy 835 ! I waited a couple minutes till the danger of a hang fire was over. I started opening up the action, I looked the case over well and the primer was hit hard and I saw no unburned powder anywhere ! The wad was stuck in my barrel so I went home and bumped it back out the action and I never saw any unburned powder ! I feel the only explanation is that there somehow wasn't a main charge put in this round ! I have used this brand turkey loads for over 40+ years and have had no trouble up until now ! The Brand is Federal and the shells are several years old but are kept in a gun safe. After removing the wad from my barrel and examining the gun for damage, I determined there was none and got a 2&3/4 inch small game load out that was over 10 years old and tried the gun and it went BOOM ! I sent Federal an E-Mail Thursday night but have not heard anything back from them ! I have used other shells out of this box of 10 and had no problem with them, I have never noticed any Federal rounds that didn't sound right in the past either ! I have had Remington shot shells misfire when they appeared that the primer was hit hard enough that they should have fired, but I have never seen where a primer had worked and not ignited the main charge, in any type shell ! This was a 3&1/2" Magnum with 2oz of # 5 shot !

 

[DartonJager]

Thursday I pulled the trigger on a gobbler and heard what sounded like a muffled 22 short shell going off, I then saw some smoke coming from the action area of my Mossy 835 ! I waited a couple minutes till the danger of a hang fire was over. I started opening up the action, I looked the case over well and the primer was hit hard and I saw no unburned powder anywhere ! The wad was stuck in my barrel so I went home and bumped it back out the action and I never saw any unburned powder ! I feel the only explanation is that there somehow wasn't a main charge put in this round ! I have used this brand turkey loads for over 40+ years and have had no trouble up until now ! The Brand is Federal and the shells are several years old but are kept in a gun safe. After removing the wad from my barrel and examining the gun for damage, I determined there was none and got a 2&3/4 inch small game load out that was over 10 years old and tried the gun and it went BOOM ! I sent Federal an E-Mail Thursday night but have not heard anything back from them ! I have used other shells out of this box of 10 and had no problem with them, I have never noticed any Federal rounds that didn't sound right in the past either ! I have had Remington shot shells misfire when they appeared that the primer was hit hard enough that they should have fired, but I have never seen where a primer had worked and not ignited the main charge, in any type shell ! This was a 3&1/2" Magnum with 2oz of # 5 shot !

Buster, I use to do (and sadly don't that much any more) a HUGE amount of pheasant and upland game hunting. Consequently I have very, VERY large numbers of 12 gauge 2.75 and 3" upland game loads sitting in my shotgun ammo storage cabinets, many of which are now approaching 20-25 years old. One purpose I use them for is a cost saving measure to help sight in my turkey gun. Another is I have my sons shoot them for practice prior to turkey season. I don't take any special precautions in storing them other than keeping them in my basement which thanks to two dehumidifiers I keep the humidity level very low.

In the last 5 years since my sons began turkey hunting and beginning two seasons ago I scoped my turkey guns I have used up well over 100 of my upland game loads that had been sitting idle for at least 20 years and not a single problem did I encounter with a single round.

Long ago I called both Winchester and federal and asked what was the max shelf life of their loaded ammo, they both replied if stored properly it was well in excess of 20 years. called my favorite powder makers with the same question and their replay was basically the same.

If you have shotgun ammo that it is 20 or less years old and it has always been stored properly and you experience a failure to fire with it or sum other issue it IMHO it is almost certainly due to a defect when it was manufactured.

Knock on wood x1K but I have fired countless 10s of thousands of rounds in my life (100sKs if you include 22 rimfire) so far of rifle, shotgun and pistol and never had a single ammunition related issue. Now with my reloads when I first began using a progressive relaoder over 25 years ago I did have three rounds out of around best guess my first 10k of 45acp that ended up with out powder. Thankfully I was the one that fired all 3 and at the shot i instantly noticed the near complete lack of recoil and as it was a semi auto the gun couldn't cycle to the next round. Might have been different if it would've been 357 or 38 reloads.

 

[Buck Buster]

Buster, I use to do (and sadly don't that much any more) a HUGE amount of pheasant and upland game hunting. Consequently I have very, VERY large numbers of 12 gauge 2.75 and 3" upland game loads sitting in my shotgun ammo storage cabinets, many of which are now approaching 20-25 years old. One purpose I use them for is a cost saving measure to help sight in my turkey gun. Another is I have my sons shoot them for practice prior to turkey season. I don't take any special precautions in storing them other than keeping them in my basement which thanks to two dehumidifiers I keep the humidity level very low.

In the last 5 years since my sons began turkey hunting and beginning two seasons ago I scoped my turkey guns I have used up well over 100 of my upland game loads that had been sitting idle for at least 20 years and not a single problem did I encounter with a single round.

Long ago I called both Winchester and federal and asked what was the max shelf life of their loaded ammo, they both replied if stored properly it was well in excess of 20 years. called my favorite powder makers with the same question and their replay was basically the same.

If you have shotgun ammo that it is 20 or less years old and it has always been stored properly and you experience a failure to fire with it or sum other issue it IMHO it is almost certainly due to a defect when it was manufactured.

Knock on wood x1K but I have fired countless 10s of thousands of rounds in my life (100sKs if you include 22 rimfire) so far of rifle, shotgun and pistol and never had a single ammunition related issue. Now with my reloads when I first began using a progressive relaoder over 25 years ago I did have three rounds out of around best guess my first 10k of 45acp that ended up with out powder. Thankfully I was the one that fired all 3 and at the shot i instantly noticed the near complete lack of recoil and as it was a semi auto the gun couldn't cycle to the next round. Might have been different if it would've been 357 or 38 reloads.

After I made sure the barrel was clear I used a 2&3/4 game load to try the gun, and it was 10-15 years old and went BANG! This is the first time for a miss fire where the primer actually worked, I have had some Remington shells just go click in the past, even though the primer appeared to have been hit hard, and I have had a few boxes of 22 long rifle shells that I had a lot of miss fires with ! As far as sighting my shotgun, a Mossy 835, with a red dot scope, I only use what I am going to be using to check my sight in, I have shot a lot of magnums and they all shoot different, so the gun needs to be sighted with what will be used in it ! The best pattern I get is with the Federal 3&1/2" 2oz. of #5's the 2&1/4 oz. loads have holes in the pattern, too much shot ! I have tried many brands, even heavy shot that did poorly for me! All gun and chock tube combinations shot different ! I killed a gobbler at 62 steps with this round, I thought it was closer or I wouldn't have even shot at it ! This is the only Federal shell I have had trouble with in over 40 years ! I have to say there must have been a problem on the production line, because I could not find any unburned powder !